The Competition Piece.

If anyone is at all interested, below is the little ditty I submitted to The Caravan Club as my entry into the Nissan Blogger competition.  According to the latest club magazine I am named a one of the three that impressed them with my writing skills.  I'll let you judge for yourself......

It’s  December, the days are short and the nights are long.  The weather is not at its best and most folk would not entertain pulling a tin box the length of the UK to somewhere that is colder and darker than the relatively mild southern half of the UK.

 

The wind, rain, sleet and snow might put some people off, but not me.  With a smug grin spread all over my face I peak through the blinds at home and nod with satisfaction as I admire the freshly waxed Nissan Pathfinder sat on the drive, with our home from home, a Bailey Pageant Sancerre, hitched to its back and all ready for the off.

 

@DerekTheWeather has promised snow and sleet in The North, the police are asking people not to travel and herself is giving me the look that says I am out of my mind.

 

It’s still dark as we set off, but the Pathfinder’s headlights light up the road ahead for miles!  For once @DerekTheWeather is spot on, and by the time we are North of Manchester there’s white stuff at the side of the road.

 

Undeterred we soldier on with the Pathfinder making easy work of pulling our 1450kg caravan through the slush.

 

Arriving in The Lakes herself looks down in horror at the snow covered driveway into the Troutbeck Head site.  Not to worry.  A flick of a switch engages a different gear ratio and we descend safely onto the site.

 

Our first morning and we wake to snow covered mountain tops and a snow covered site.  Not the cursory dusting we usually get in coastal South Wales, but proper snow, and it’s deep.

 

I’ve not had time to belch after my early morning bacon sandwich washed down with a steaming mug of tea, when there’s a knock at the door.  Our neighbours are due to leave today, but towing with a Mondeo they have zero chance of making it out of the site to the relatively clear A roads and motorway network.

 

The Pathfinder comes to the rescue.  With their caravan hitched I select 4WD low and the Pathfinder growls its way through the snaking site roads towards the steep ascent out of the site.  Looking in my mirrors I note we have an audience willing us to fail.  I plead with the beast not to lose traction, but soon realise I needn’t have worried.  I am nearly at the top and note that the audience has retreated to the comfort of their caravans, no doubt making good use of the club’s wifi surfing the pages of autotrader.

 

When I return, herself is in the shower.  I take the opportunity to spread out the OS  map on the table.  I know what I’m looking for and it takes me no time whatsoever to locate the internet legend that I’ve read so  much about.  It gets circled on the map and I shout to herself to hurry up because we’re going out.

 

She knows there’s something up by the grin on my face.  You can’t be serious she says as she looks down onto the map and the circled Hardknot Pass!!!!